Bible Commentaries
Revelation 21

Verses 1-27

THE WEDDING PROCEEDS

I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. Revelation 21:2

The appearing of the Bridegroom, the cataclysmic events of the Antichrist's world-wide war, the blissful Millennium and the last great battle of Gog and Magog all combine to usher in a completely new era for the earth. Heaven and earth are now remade and restructured. The greatly contaminated sea is not renewed but is totally eliminated (21:1).

The Holy City or New Jerusalem now continues her descent from heaven. Indeed she still appears as a bride, beautifully dressed (21:2). Heaven and earth can now be united since "…God's dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them…" (21:3). Death, mourning, crying and pain are all things of the past. God announces that he is making all things new (21:4-5). Jesus, the Alpha and Omega (beginning and end), proclaims the end of theold order (cf. Isaiah 65:17-19).

The overcomers are now honored. They inherit everything along with Christ (21:7). The Lord opens the springs of the water of life to them. The remade and purified world will belong to them as Jesus said in his earthly ministry, "Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth" (Matthew 5:5). A similar idea is conveyed in Psalm 115:16, "The highest heavens belong to the LORD, but the earth he has given to mankind."

The Lamb now speaks with scorn toward the disobedient, "But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars – their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death" (21:8). In 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 Paul also mentions this, "…do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God."

How tragic it is that so many of today's popular pursuits will come under the awful and eternal wrath of the Almighty God. We see that these pursuits include things like sexual immorality of all types, sorcery, idolatry and deceitfulness. Such things will result in the second death, which is an eternal death.

With the Bridegroom's enemies all vanquished, and with the righteous duly rewarded, the wedding proceeds. The Bride fully makes her descent from heaven. She is also known as Holy Jerusalem (21:10). John continues to describe the indescribable, "It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal" (21:11). In every wedding on earth, the bride is the center of focus and attention. Here it seems that all creation waits in suspense as the bride appears (cf. Romans 8:19).

We cannot help but note the great contrast between the true bride and the false bride, Babylon. While lady Babylon was arrayed in beautiful and costly things, she was polluted through and through. This bride is arrayed in the glory of God and is holy throughout. Just as Babylon was a city as well as a person, or persons, the true bride is also a holy city as well as holy persons.

The bride or city is described as having a high wall with twelve gates and with twelve angels standing guard. In Isaiah 60:18, the walls and gates of this city are described in this way, "…but you will call your walls Salvation and your gates Praise." On the gates are written the names of Israel's twelve tribes (21:12; cf. Ez. 48:31).

As we see, the book of Revelation is a very Jewish book. The further we go in it, the more Jewish it becomes. The tribes of Israel that are written on the gates of the heavenly city will surely be an embarrassment to Christian anti-Semites. Here we see that the way into the city must still be through Israel and her Messiah. The city wall has twelve foundations and on these are written the twelve Jewish Apostles of the Lamb (21:14).

Imagine finding names like Shi-mon Ke-fa (Simon Peter), Ya-a-kov ben Zav-da-i (James, son of Zebedee), and Ya-a-kov ben Hal-fi-e (James son of Alphaeus) written on the New Jerusalem's very foundations! Again, we see the close connection with the heavenly Jerusalem and with people. The New Jerusalem is a city – a bride – victorious saints – apostles. She is all of these.

At this point the new and heavenly city is measured (21:15-16). This city is massive, about 1400 miles or 2200 kilometers for each of its dimensions, height, width and depth (21:17). The wall and city are made up of very precious things, such as jasper, gold and other treasures. The gates to the city are described as twelve pearls (21:18-21). Like the other precious things that are made by heat and pressure, the pearl is made through the suffering of the oyster. The pearls also speak of Jesus, who is called "the door" (John 10:1 & 7), and who is alluded to as the Pearl of Great Price (Matthew 13:46).

In this New Jerusalem there is no longer a temple. There is no need for virtual reality when reality has now arrived. The Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple (21:22). The Lamb is not only the temple, but he is the light of the city (21:23). Isaiah had prophesied this long before, saying, "The sun will no more be your light by day, nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you, for the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory" (Isaiah 60:19).

The gates of this city will always be open and the kings and nations will bring their glory into it (21:24). Nothing impure will ever enter this city. Only those will enter who have their names written in the Lamb's book of life (21:27).